U's Look For Trophy Progress

Pep Clotet looks ahead to Tuesday night

6 November 2017

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Oxford United welcome MK Dons to Grenoble Road on Tuesday night looking to make progress in the Checkatrade Trophy.

A win at Stevenage and a draw at home to Brighton under 21s give United a great chance of reaching the knockout stages of the same competition they have reached the final in the last two years. Having gone out of the FA Cup at Port Vale on Friday manager Pep Clotet is looking for a positive reaction from his side against the Dons.

“It doesn’t really change the approach because we prepare properly and want to win every game, whatever the competition” he said. “Oxford have a great record in this competition over the last two seasons and we want to give the fans another Wembley experience this year, hopefully with a win at the end of it this time.

“We know it will not be easy. It was a good game at MK earlier this season. They are building a side, like we are building here, that plays good football and can grow and develop together. They play open, attacking football and that should make for a really good game for the fans to enjoy.”

United will once again be without the injured Gino van Kessel as he recovers from a hamstring problem, and he is likely to be joined in the treatment room by centre-half Mike Williamson who limped off at half time at Port Vale.

“Gino is out there training on the pitch again” Pep said “but it’s maybe a week or so for him. But the group is very competitive and we have players pushing for starting places all the time, which is good for us.

“I don’t think there will be massive changes but we will be forced into at least one because Mike Williamson picked up an injury on Friday night. He did the right thing using his experience to realise what it was and letting us know before it became any worse, but he will be out of action for a week or ten days.

“Curtis Nelson will come back into the squad and Aaron Martin did very well on Friday so we have options there.”

Tickets are reduced to just £10 in all areas for this game: visit www.oufctickets.co.uk or call 01865 337533 to book your place.

Those details also apply for Saturday’s game when United return to league action at home against Northampton Town.